


More Than Just A Beautiful Memory

by Stupendous_Hippo



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Romance, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-04 04:24:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6641365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stupendous_Hippo/pseuds/Stupendous_Hippo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The son of a homewrecker, abandoned, with nothing left to live for, contemplates suicide. A passing tall, dark, and handsome stranger takes him in on a whim. With a new purpose in life, becoming a form of entertainment for a bored billionaire, Kise puts all thoughts of taking his life on hold. He promises to leave when Aomine no longer has a need for him. What he had not expected was that by that time, Aomine would have had become his everything.</p>
<p>*Warning: Mentions of suicide and suicidal thoughts*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. For what reasons do we all keep moving forward?

**Author's Note:**

> This story has a happy ending. I promise!
> 
> It's just a storyline I came up with on a whim. I'll be updating this every week or so, so I hope you guys bear with me.

“ _Why? Why? Why did you have to be born?”_

 

Kise's head was ringing as he stepped out into the moonlight. He had finally been released from full-day's interrogation at the police station.

 

“ _I could have forgiven him. I could have just passed it off as a one-time fling. If only you never existed.”_

 

Kise ambled along the empty streets, too absorbed in his own thoughts to see where his legs were taking him.

 

“ _It's all your fault. You were the one who drove me to do this. You're the reason it had to come down to this.”_

 

All Kise could hear was the echoing memories of his stepmother's sharp voice, before his mind wandered back to the events that had transpired in the last few hours.

 

# ❀

  


_In the wee hours of the morning, the investigators had come knocking on Kise's door, the door of the home Kise had been living in for the past year. He had just been getting ready for school, while mulling over the strange accusatory call from his stepmother the evening before._

 

“ _I'm sorry to say this, but the bodies of your family members have been found washed up along the shore.”_

 

_Kise barely had any time to process this new piece of information, before he was dragged down to the nearest police station for further questioning._

 

_After a few rounds of question and answer with the lead investigator, the police finally shared their findings with Kise._

 

“ _Truth be told, it seems that your stepmother had some mental issues.”_

 

_The officer speaking to Kise glanced at the lead investigator, who shook his head ever so slightly._

 

“ _Our findings show that for some unknown reason, she fed your father and younger brother sleeping pills, before driving the three of them off the road and into the ocean.”_

 

“ _You have our condolences, son.” The lead investigator gave Kise a small pat on the back._

 

_After a moment of silence, the officer began speaking again._

 

“ _So, the information we have shows that although you are still attending high school, you are legally an adult. Is that correct?”_

 

“ _My biological mother couldn't afford to put me through high school, so I just started a year ago, after moving in with my father's family.” Kise quietly mumbled his response._

 

“ _Ah. I see. Your mother passed from a chronic disease a year ago. I'm sorry that you had to lose so many people in such a short time span.” The officer placed his stack of papers back down onto the table._

 

“ _Anyway.” The officer continued. “Since you are an adult, and you are now legally responsible for yourself, it is unfortunate that we are unable to offer you any of the services that are available to minors.”_

 

_Picking up the stack of information on the table again, the officer flicked his finger at a particular line that intrigued him._

 

“ _Hmm. We do feel bad for you Kise, it seems that the house you were living in was in your stepmother's name. Legally speaking, since all the other beneficiaries listed are deceased, the house will now belong to her parents,.” The officer cleared his throat._

 

“ _Well, I guess you can always ask your step grandparents to take you in.” The lead investigator spoke once more, before the two men stood up. He gave Kise one last pat on the back, before the pair headed for the door. “Just be glad that she didn't take you along with them, son.”_

 

_Kise was left alone to internalize everything, before someone came with a stack of release forms for him to sign._

 

# ❀

 

Kise now had nothing, except the school uniform on his back, and his wallet; which contained his meagre savings of two hundred bucks, and his identification card.

 

Going back “home” was no longer an option. His stepmother's parents did not acknowledge his existence, and he was pretty sure that they would blame him for their daughter's death. Besides, nothing else in that house really belonged to him. There was really no point returning.

 

What would Kise do from now on? Two hundred bucks would not get him very far. It would feed him for a number of days if he went really cheap.

 

Maybe he could get a job? He quickly shot down that thought on his own. He knew nobody would hire someone without a permanent address in this day and age.

 

Oh, yes. And he would no longer be able to afford his school fees. He glanced down solemnly at his sole outfit.

 

As Kise let his feet wander over to a bridge overlooking a waterway, it suddenly hit him. He had no friends nor family. The only person who really cared for him had long left the world, and he had just caused the death of the father he had barely known, who had only taken him in due to obligation.

 

Kise had just basically murdered three people who had been happily living together without him. He was the lowly son of a mistress. He had just destroyed a perfectly happy family.

 

He had been denying it all along, but his very existence was unnecessary. It was a curse. He had no family, no home, and no purpose. He no longer had anything to live for. In fact, the world would probably be better off without him.

 

By this time, Kise had reached the middle of the bridge. He turned to look out at the body of water beneath him. As he tried to come up with reasons and ways to go on with his dismal life, his body moved to lean against the side of the bridge.

 

Unable to come up with anything, and feeling that there was no longer any reason to go on, his hands reached up to grip the railings of the bridge. But just as Kise lifted up a foot towards the metal bars, something yanked hard on the collar of his shirt, causing him to stumble backwards, and fall unceremoniously onto the cold concrete floor.

 

“What are you doing, idiot!”

 

Thoroughly shaken, Kise turned his gaze to look up at the dark-skinned man who had grabbed him from behind.

 

“It's not really any of your business, is it?” Kise retorted in shock.

 

“Then why try to kill yourself in such a public location? You can't expect me to just watch a guy commit suicide without doing anything. People may call me a ruthless bastard, but I do still have my morals, okay?” The stranger now had his arms folded in irritation.

 

Kise proceeded to pick himself off the floor, and made a couple of futile attempts to dust off his pants.

 

“Then I shall not bother you any longer. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Kise turned to walk off the bridge.

 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Kise's advancements were halted by a firm grip on his shoulder.

 

“You! Oh my god. I can't just let you walk off now, can I?” The man sighed loudly. “Okay, tell me where you live. I'll drive you home.”

 

A heavy dose of reality made Kise's stomach give a violent lurch.

 

“I... I... Don't have a home.”

 

The stranger's eyes grew wide as he stared at the homeless boy with seemingly no possessions.

 

“Come with me.”

 

That was all he said, before dragging Kise over to a black sports car, camouflaged by the darkness of the night.


	2. Give me a reason to go on. Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two! I ended up posting it a day earlier in the end. Hehe.^^
> 
> From now on, I'll try to start posting two chapters a week instead of one. Just because I can. =X  
> And one whole week in between chapters feels kind of long... *o*  
> (Hint hint: I might post another chapter up tomorrow...=9)
> 
> Anyway, I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who read my story, and could be bothered to leave kudos and comments! You guys are so sweet! T_T
> 
> And... Alright. Don't mind me. On to chapter two... ->

After a short five-minute drive, Kise found himself sitting in the living room of a large penthouse suite. He was sitting in the house of a stranger that he knew nothing about, except that he was a self-proclaimed bastard.

 

The stranger left the room, but returned shortly with a bottle of water in hand. He quickly tossed it onto Kise's lap, before sitting down on the couch beside him.

 

“Drink up. Then I'll listen to what you have to say.”

 

Feeling a little guilty that he had inconvenienced someone else, Kise shared that he was now without a home, family, or money, deciding to leave out all the other nitty gritty details.

 

“But why try and kill yourself?” The serious look in the stranger's eyes sent a shiver down Kise's spine.

 

“I don't really have any other choice, do I?” Kise strengthened his gaze. “Even if I don't take my life now, I'll starve and die in a ditch in a few days anyway.”

 

“And...” Kise swallowed hard. “It's not like I have any reason to try so hard to go on living.”

 

The silence seemed to go on for an eternity as the stranger quietly processed the new pieces of information he received. Kise was tempted to just get up and leave. He and the stranger really needn't have anything to do with each other.

 

But before Kise could get up and make his move, the stranger started speaking once more, now with a determined look on his face.

 

“If you really have nothing to live for anymore, why don't you stay and help me. That should be enough reason for you to keep going on. Plus, you'll have a roof over your head, complete with a guaranteed three meals a day.”

 

“Of course it won't be for free.” The stranger continued to explain, after seeing the suspicious look on Kise's face.

 

“Lately, I have a few older subordinates who have been persistently trying to get me to try dating their precious daughters. Of course I can totally understand why.” The stranger gestured to his body. “I'm young, smart, handsome, and rich. Who in their right mind wouldn't want me?”

 

Kise could feel his eyes rolling about in their sockets. This guy was a total narcissist.

 

“Too bad, this super eligible bachelor is currently too busy with work to even begin thinking about dating.”

 

“And, how could I possibly fall for a woman with anything less than a D-cup.” Kise's eyes did yet another lap round their sockets.

 

“Anyway, these are workers whom I respect, and I don't wish to offend them in any way. So this is where you will come in. I've been looking for someone outside of my circle of acquaintances, and who is not a professional escort.”

 

Kise held his breathe. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what the stranger wanted from him.

 

“I want you to pretend to be my lover.”

 

Kise coughed and spluttered on his mineral water. “And why on Earth would I do that?”

 

The stranger's gaze turned more serious. “Firstly, you will get a purpose and a means to go on living. Yes?”

 

Kise sure couldn't argue with that.

 

“Secondly, we won't really be lovers. We just need to pretend in public, until I actually do find someone I can marry.”

 

Maybe Kise could live with that. It didn't sound that hard, actually.

 

“And thirdly, it'll be interesting. I can't wait to see the look on those old geezers' faces! No one would ever expect me of all people to start dating a guy.” The stranger now had a wolfish grin on his face.

 

Kise sighed. So that was the stranger's true goal. Putting on a show for entertainment. It was all a fun and games to him.

 

“I guess I don't have anything to lose, huh?”

 

The stranger tipped his head in agreement. “But, keep in mind, this will only last till I do get a real partner.” A hint of seriousness returned to the stranger's face.

 

“Don't worry. When you lose interest in me, I promise I'll leave. You won't have to worry about me being clingy or anything.”

 

“Good, good. So we have an agreement?”

 

“I guess so.”

 

“I'm Aomine Daiki, by the way. I just realized that I don't even know the name of the guy who is going to become my pretend boyfriend.”

 

Kise wanted so badly to wipe that silly smirk off of Aomine's face.

 

“I'm Kise Ryouta.”

 

Kise was surprised to find himself smiling for the first time that day.


	3. How deep is your love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I have to bring our precious babies closer together, before cruelly tearing their lives apart... T.T

Sunlight trickled into the dark room through the small crack between the thick blackout curtains, rousing Kise from his peaceful slumber. The warm blanket enveloping him made him reluctant to get up from bed, but the unfamiliar surroundings quickly brought him out of his sleepy state.

 

As Kise made his move to get off his bed, he realized that the warmth encircling his body was not solely due to the blanket. This wasn't just a case of big spoon and little spoon. Kise felt like a little salmon being hugged by a big sleepy bear.

 

The night before, Aomine had insisted on them sleeping on the same bed, before pulling Kise into his firm arms. His argument was that Kise might run off in the middle of the night, and that this would help make their boyfriend act more natural and believable. Too tired to come up with a good enough retort, Kise resigned himself to a night in Aomine's arms. It seemed that Aomine had not let go of his new body pillow the entire night.

 

“Morning darling.” The sickeningly sweet voice, dripping with artificial honey, ghosted over Kise's left ear.

 

Kise instinctively swatted at his ear, smacking Aomine's nose, and making a small scratch on his chin along the way.

 

“Oww! What was that for! Who on Earth hits their boyfriend's face during cuddle time?” Aomine finally released Kise to grab at his injured face.

 

“You scared me! I'm not used to someone whispering into my ear like that!” Kise bolted up at the first signs of freedom.

 

“Then we really need to get you used to this.” Aomine dragged Kise back down into the depths of his King-sized bed.

 

“How else will we put on a good show for everyone?”

 

# ❀

  


Kise was surprised to find himself back at school, as if nothing had happened. The low profile he kept in school ensured that nobody could link the tiny article in the newspapers about a family suicide back to him.

  


Even with a late start Kise had always been glad to finally get a high school education. He found himself actually glad that Aomine had insisted on paying for his school fees.

  


“ _I can't go about having an uneducated lover, can I? I'm the chairman and CEO of a multinational conglomerate.”_

  


Kise sighed as he reminisced.

  


“ _Just remember to meet me at the company after school,_ darling _.”_

  


A small smile played on Kise's lips as the math teacher droned on.

  


# ❀

  


“Excuse me. I'm here to see Mr. Aomi-, umm, Daiki.”

  


Kise decided calling Aomine by his last name sounded too distant. He just prayed that the receptionist would not pay too much attention to his slip-up.

 

“Ah. You must be Kise. Mr. Aomine has been expecting you. Please head up the elevator inside, and go to the top floor.”

 

Kise was stunned that the receptionist could recognize him, until he leaned over and caught a glimpse of a picture of his sleeping face.

 

“Uh. Where did you get that?” Kise asked although he already knew the answer.

 

“Oh! Mr. Aomine gave this to us this morning! He was telling us admin staff how lovey-dovey the two of you are. We all couldn't believe that Mr. Aomine has finally settled down! We'll be rooting for you, Mr. Kise!”

 

Kise's jaw dropped as the receptionist winked at him. He quickly thanked the lady, before heading up the elevator, and wondering just what he had gotten himself into.

 

# ❀

  


Upon reaching the top floor, Kise could hear the muffled sounds of a conversation emanating from a lone closed door.

  


Suddenly, the chatter stopped, and the door burst open to reveal Aomine grinning from ear-to-ear.

  


Aomine pulled Kise into a quick embrace, before sliding an arm around his waist.

  


“I missed you so much, baby!”

  


Kise cringed internally, before mustering up a small “I missed you too”.

  


“Anyhow, I was just having a chat with Mr. Matsumoto here.” Aomine said, as he led Kise into his office.

  


Aomine introduced the two, before sitting back down on his chair, pulling Kise down onto his lap, and wrapping his arms round Kise's waist.

  


Surely this display was inappropriate, no? Kise's thoughts were cut-off by Matsumoto's dejected voice.

  


“I didn't know that you already had a lover, Mr. Aomine.”

  


“Oh, yes. We have totally been in love for years!” Aomine gave Kise a quick peck on the cheek.

  


“It's just that Ryouta here has been to shy to admit to our relationship.” Aomine playfully pinched Kise on the nose. “But he's finally come round, and has agreed to publicly acknowledge our love.”

  


Kise almost yelped when Aomine casually slapped him on his bum, but tried to cover it up with a nervous laugh. He pretended to shyly hug Aomine, burying his face into Aomine's shoulder.

  


“Please give me some warning that you're going to do that next time!” Kise hissed into Aomine's ear.

  


Aomine chuckled. “See what I was talking about? My little kitten is just too shy!”

  


# ❀

  


After concluding his discussion with Matsumoto, Aomine proceeded to parade Kise around the building, bragging about their intimate relationship. When work was over, Aomine brought Kise over to a secluded bar to meet his old high school classmates, where Kise was introduced once again as the shy lover.

  


Kise found it surprisingly easy to talk to Aomine's friends. They all shared a common interest in basketball, and Kise seemed to fit right in. He found it highly entertaining to hear about Aomine's high school antics, and had to work hard to suppress his laughter when Aomine growled at his friends to shut up.

  


However, Kise's laughter was cut short by an observation by Akashi.

  


“By the way, what happened to your chin Aomine?” Akashi gestured to the scratch on Aomine's face.

  


“Why, this thing?” Aomine suddenly put his arm around Kise's shoulders and pulled him closer. “Let's just say, things got a little rough in bed.”

  


The blood rushed to Kise's face as Aomine gave everyone a rather suggestive wink.

  


“No! No! You guys have it all wrong!” Kise started protesting vehemently.

  


“And what could they possibly have wrong Ryouta?” Aomine started fondling Kise's ear. Suddenly, he tilted Kise's head up, and brought their lips together in a chaste kiss.

  


If Kise's head had been red before, it was now exploding with color. His embarrassment only grew as Aomine's friends started cheering at the bold move. As expected, after this public display, Kise spent the rest of the drinking session fending off all the teasing from Aomine's friends.

  


By the time everyone was ready to go home, Kise was exhausted from all the couple jokes.

  


“Wow. This job is turning out to be more tiring than I thought it would be.” Kise pondered aloud as he and Aomine strolled back to their apartment, hand-in-hand. Of course, this was just a facade, in case any of Aomine's acquaintances spotted them from a distance.

  


Aomine chuckled. “Did you really think it'd be that easy? There is a reason why you're getting so much in return, you know?”

  


“Although...” Kise's feet ground to a halt when he realized that Aomine had stopped walking mid-sentence.

  


Kise soon found Aomine's face dangerously close to his own. Lost in Aomine's gaze, he hadn't even seen Aomine move. Aomine now had his hand supporting the back of Kise's head.

  


“This situation really isn't bad at all.”

  


And this was the moment when Kise discovered the feeling of a deep kiss.


	4. The taste of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! An update! I remembered to update! =)
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments everyone! You guys are the best! I just love reading what you all have to say. So many comments from the last chapter really made me grin! ;)
> 
> Anyway, on to chapter 4!
> 
> P.S. My sister has gotten me hooked on neko atsume. Now I spend too much time looking out for Tubbs/まんぞくさん, so I can refill my food as soon as he leaves. ^_^;

Several weeks passed, and Kise was finding that his life now revolved around school and Aomine. Any free time they had, they would spend together going on “dates” to make their “relationship” seem more natural.

  


The few weeks following his family's suicide, which should have been his own personal hell, had actually turned out to be the best time of his life.

  


When Kise had been living with his biological mother, they could barely afford anything, and Kise's life was centred around his job as a construction worker, and part-timing at a fast-food joint.

  


When Kise's mother passed away, he found out that he had a father who wanted to take him in to live with his family. Upon moving in with his father, Kise had felt like he was drowning in that household. He had to face the vicious glares from his stepmother, the hateful stares from his stepbrother, and the indifferent attitude of his so-called father. Kise found that his only escape from that toxic family environment was locking himself in his room and thinking about his real mother.

  


The night of his family's mass suicide, the day Kise received that cryptic phone call from his stepmother, was the moment Kise's life had been thrown into chaos and turmoil. With almost nothing to his name, and a single outfit to clothe his chilly body, Kise was turned out onto the streets, and had essentially been left to starve to death, all alone.

  


Discovering the man called Aomine Daiki left Kise barely any time to be depressed. Kise soon found out that Aomine was a cocky bastard, and with every right to be one. Anything Aomine put his mind towards, he could easily become the best at. He wound up graduating from business school at the young age of nineteen, and set out to make his mark with his late parents' inheritance in hand. In a mere seven years, Aomine had built up a super successful multinational conglomerate, with numerous companies in the top ten grossing list in the world.

  


But although almost everyone knew Aomine as the suave, young businessman, with a brilliant head on his shoulders, Kise was surprised to find out what a brat he could be.

  


There was nothing Aomine liked to do more than to laze around the house. Okay, maybe his love of double D's could rival that. Having pity for Aomine's secretary, Shizuku, Kise often found himself attempting to drag the man off to work.

  


“ _Shizuku's going to be mad again!” Kise tugged hard on Aomine's arm._

  


_Aomine returned Kise's nagging with a lazy yawn. “I am just so goddamned tired. I need some motivation to get up...”_

  


“ _Oh come on! I made your favourite for breakfast! Shouldn't that be enough reason for you to get up?”_

  


_Aomine stubbornly shook his head like a brat._

  


“ _Goddamnit! Aomine Daiki! Just get up right now! I still need to get ready for school myself! We're both going to be late at this rate!” Kise whined while shaking Aomine's shoulders._

  


_Suddenly, Aomine's lips curled up into his infamous smirk._

  


“ _Then kiss me.”_

  


Kise blushed as he mentally swatted the memory from his mind. He and Aomine had been getting closer and more intimate under the pretext of playing pretend lovers, but boy could Aomine make his heart tremble. By now, Kise was completely convinced Aomine would have no trouble wooing his future wife.

 

Suddenly, the chiming of the school bell shocked Kise out of his daydreaming. He quickly packed up his bag, and excitedly rushed out the school gates. Aomine had said that he would be waiting for him at a nearby park for another one of their “dates”.

 

# ❀

  


Kise couldn't stop his grin from forming when he spotted Aomine standing in the middle of the park, decked out in his dark shades, brown bomber jacket, and dark-wash jeans. As lazy as he could be, at least the man always seemed to try when they went out together.

  


Kise called out to the well-tanned male, who wasted no time in jogging over.

  


“That sure took you long enough!” Aomine teased.

  


“Sorry I'm late, Aominecchi! But you know I had school!” Kise jested back, simultaneously hooking his arm around Aomine's.

  


Aomine eyed Kise carefully. “Didn't I tell you to just call me Daiki already?”

  


Kise stretched over to whisper into Aomine's ear. “I already told you that that's too awkward!”

  


“Besides, I like calling you Aominecchi better!” Kise gave Aomine a quick peck on the cheek.

  


A satisfied grin washed over Aomine's face.

  


“Fine. Let's just get going already.”

  


# ❀

  


As expected, Kise had tremendous fun on their date. They had a quick lunch at a French cafe before heading over to a food cart to buy crepes for dessert. The pair spent the afternoon happily chatting, while walking around town. It was nothing particularly special per se, but Aomine and Kise were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

  


By the time the clock struck six in the evening, Aomine and Kise had finally made a full circle back to their meeting point.

  


“Let's sit over here for a while.” Aomine led Kise away by the hand, heading for a park bench under a large tree filled with golden leaves.

  


There they sat, side-by-side, admiring the waning autumn blooms. Finally having a moment of complete and utter silence, various thoughts and emotions raced through Kise's mind as the drumming of his heart grew louder.

  


This man, Aomine Daiki, made Kise feel things he never thought he would ever feel; made him laugh like he had never laughed; gave him the sense of peace and security that he had never known; and made his heart race, like a little kid on Christmas morning. It was a feeling that he had long forgotten.

 

Suddenly, a firm grip gently pulled Kise's head down, to rest on Aomine's broad shoulder. It was at this very moment that everything became clear to Kise.

 

_Ah. So this is what being in love is like._

 

A large wave of happiness welled up in Kise's chest in a sudden burst. A wealth of emotions that he never realized he possessed came rushing over his whole person.

 

As the pair continued to admire the golden scenery around them, Kise felt grateful to Aomine for showing him things he had never seen before. He was grateful to the man for showing him the meaning of true happiness; for becoming his reason to go on living; and for giving him a glimpse of romantic love, even if it was all just a temporary illusion.


	5. Reality hurts sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo! Another chapter! We're almost there guys! The actual story is actually going to be 7 chapters long, and chapter 8 will be an omake.^^
> 
> Anyway, thanks again to everyone who left kudos and comments! =D I know a few of you guys are fearing the upcoming angst...  
> But after the storm, the rainbow will come. The rainbow will come... =)

“ _If only you never existed.”_

 

“Please... Don't do it... I'll leave instead... Just...” Aomine was awakened by the sounds of Kise mumbling in his sleep.

 

“Oi! Ryouta! Ryouta!” Aomine shook Kise hard, eventually managing to rouse the blond male from his unrestful slumber.

 

“Wha- what?” The man was clearly shaken. Aomine gently pulled Kise firm onto his chest.

 

“It's okay Ryouta. You were just having another bad dream.” Aomine continued to rub comforting circles into Kise's back. Kise just nodded, trembling ever so slightly.

 

After a couple of minutes, Aomine's voice finally cut through the thick silence.

 

“Ryouta. Isn't it time you tell me what's going on? What is it that keeps you awake at night?”

 

The lips resting upon Kise's head finally felt signs of a weak nod, before Kise finally shared his past for the first time in a few months.

 

# ❀

  


Sharing the story of his past with Aomine actually made Kise feel a lot better, like a big secret that he had been hiding was lifted off of his shoulders. And if Aomine had been shocked by any of the events that had transpired, he managed to hide his emotions pretty well. To Kise, Aomine seemed unfazed by his past, and continued treating him the same way he always had. Or at least that was what Kise had thought, until the normally lazy Aomine had started having to spend longer hours at work, and had begun asking him some strange questions.

  


The first one was when they were cooking together.

  


“How do you feel about children?”

  


As thrown back by the question as he was, Kise managed to answer that he liked children, though he was completely puzzled by the randomness of it all.

  


  


The second time was when they were lazing about on the couch. Kise was sitting there, reading a magazine, while Aomine was lying down with his head in Kise's lap.

  


“Hey, Ryouta. Do you ever find yourself getting bored here?” Something tightened in Kise's chest. Was Aomine trying to say that he himself was bored?

  


“Um... Sometimes, I guess?” Kise struggled to give Aomine the truth. Sometimes it did get lonely when Aomine got really busy with work.

  


“Hmm... I see.” Was the only response Kise received.

  


  


The third time round, Kise was beginning to see a pattern.

  


“Ryouta, did you ever wish you were adopted by someone else? That your father never took you in?”

  


Kise knew that Aomine had always been the straightforward kind, never being one to dance around the question, but wasn't this too much? Should Kise be wishing that he had never entered his father's life? Would they still be alive if it were not for his existence? Was Aomine now insinuating that he was the cause of his family's misfortune?

  


It hurt Kise all the more, as this was the reality he had spent months hiding from. He was the reason his family was dead. They would still be alive if he had never entered their lives. He should have been thrown out on the streets more than a year ago, but his stupid father had felt guilty and taken him in. I he had just been the one to leave then, three lives could have been spared in exchange for his one measly existence.

 

Numb from the sudden flood of emotions, Kise quietly whispered a small, “Maybe”, before heading off to school without ever turning around.

 

# ❀

  


At school, Kise spent the day lost in his own thoughts.

  


Was Aomine getting tired of him? Was that why he was asking all those strange questions? Did he not want to be associated with a murderer?

  


But the hopeful part of Kise argued otherwise.

  


Aomine had only started asking these weird questions after Kise had shared his past with him. If Aomine really had been so appalled by Kise, would he really still be hanging out with Kise like usual? Would Aomine really still be able to cuddle with Kise so normally at night?

  


_But, he has been spending more and more time at the company since then._ The logical part of Kise argued back. _And not only has he not been asking you to head over to the company after school, he's been outright telling you not to head over, as he'll have no time to entertain you for the next few weeks._

  


The more Kise ruminated on his thoughts, the more confused and depressed he became. Soon the school bell rang him back to the world, and he got up to leave.

  


# ❀

  


Kise slowly trudged out the school gates. Aomine would be busy at the company again, and he had been told to head on home by himself. Along the way, he spied Aomine's company building out of the corner of his eye. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Kise decided to stop over and give Aomine a surprise visit. He didn't really need to be entertained by Aomine, and he would leave right after giving him a small hello.

  


Upon entering the company building, Kise nodded to the receptionist in a small greeting, before heading over to the elevator to Aomine's office. Kise groaned as a pink-haired woman closed the elevator door before he could catch her attention, and the lone elevator started on its long track to the top.

  


Kise sighed, and decided to walk up the stairs instead. He didn't really feel like waiting, and he could use the exercise anyway. After all, with Aomine being stuck in the office all the time now, they had not been going out to walk around town much. If Kise wasn't careful, he'd soon be losing the trim body line he was so proud of. As Kise made his way up the stairs, he mentally chuckled as he noted that the pink-haired lady in the elevator had a nice big pair of double D's.

  


_Just Aominecchi's type!_ Aomine had obviously trained him well.

  


Finally reaching the top of the stairwell, Kise was about to reach for the exit door, when voices brought his hand to a halt.

  


Peering out the tiny window in the stairwell exit door, Kise saw Aomine burst out of his office to give the pink-haired lady a big bear hug. The scene unfolding before his eyes started a small knot in Kise's chest.

  


When Aomine bent down abruptly, Kise realized that a little boy of about five had emerged from the elevator with the lady. Kise must have missed him as he hadn't been looking downwards at the time.

  


Aomine picked up the giggling little boy with a big grin on his face. Kise strained to hear what they were saying, while staring into the trio of happy faces. At the same time, he tried very his best to ignore the obvious portrait of a happy family, staring back at him.

  


Since the elevator was some distance away from the stairs, Kise could only catch a few words from their conversation.

  


“...cute...”

  


“...so happy...”

  


“...in love...”

  


But the last few words, burned their way into Kise's mind.

  


“The three of us will be a happy family.”


	6. Thank you for the beautiful memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6 you guys!
> 
> Thanks once again for the wonderful comments and kudos! I just love hearing everyone's opinion on the story. =)
> 
> Anyway, I'll be leaving chapter notes after the story this time. I don't want to accidentally give away anything. =P

Kise's entire body went numb as he raced down the stairwell at breakneck speed. A few people stared as he bolted out the building entrance, but Kise couldn't care less. Finally reaching home, Kise dropped his school bag and slumped against a wall. He was jolted out of his daze when his phone vibrated in his pants pocket. It was a message from Aomine.

 

“ _I'll be home by five tonight. I have something I want to tell you.”_

 

Kise closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards, trying to stop the tears from flowing out. This was it. The illusion had finally come to an end. Kise's no longer had a reason to impose on Aomine. Aomine had found someone else to love.

 

No, Aomine had finally found someone to love.

 

When Kise was certain that his tears had receded, he slowly opened his eyes once more. Rolling his head over to the living room clock, he saw that it was only three o'clock. He still had time to leave before Aomine returned. Kise knew it would be rude to just up-and-leave without saying goodbye in person, but surely Aomine would be able to let it slide this once. This would be the last time after all.

 

With new-found determination, Kise dug out a pen and a piece of paper from his school bag, and started writing.

 

_Dear Aominecchi,_

 

_Thank you for giving me so much for all this time. Sorry I couldn't meet you, like you wanted, but I already know that it is my time to leave and continue from where I left off. I am glad to have met you, and will always remember good times we had together._

 

_You don't have to worry. I only took what I arrived with. But anyhow, I wish you all the best with your new happy family. Congratulations Aominecchi. You have finally found the wonderful family you've been looking for._

 

_Love,_

_Kise Ryouta._

 

Tucking the small piece of paper underneath the phone that Aomine had been loaning him, Kise picked up his frayed cloth wallet, shed his thick winter jacket, and headed towards the setting sun.

 

# ❀

  


Shivering harder as the winter night set in, Kise hugged his arms together in a futile attempt to create some warmth.

  


After over a year of living in a Cinderella dream, Kise finally was back where he began. Back where he belonged.

  


Once again, Kise had lost everything, only this time it hurt so much more. He didn't have anywhere to go, or anywhere to belong. Nobody needed him, and nobody wanted him.

  


“ _If only you never existed.”_

  


Kise had entertained thoughts of asking Aomine if he could stay, but deep down, he could never do that to Aomine. He would just ruin everything all over again. It was better for him to just leave now.

  


Cold and tired, and unsure of where to go, Kise's legs soon brought him over to a park he had visited with Aomine on a few occasions. Spotting the bench they had often sat at, Kise dropped his body down on the cold metal frame. The winter chill was beginning to set in, and Kise soon found himself feeling sleepy.

  


Resting his tired head down on the back of the bench, Kise gave in and let his eyelids droop close.

  


In his delirium, Kise imagined that it was autumn once again. His head was resting on Aomine's broad shoulder; the world looked so golden and beautiful around them; the tired flowers were swaying gently in the wind; and they were in love, so much in love. Kise was the happiest he had ever been.

  


As Kise's head began to spin, so did his imaginary world around him. The golden world swirled together with Aomine before finally coming together in pitch black.

  


Kise must have finally reached heaven, for once again he could hear the man he loved calling his name.

  


“Ryouta! Ryouta!!”

  


# ❀

  


After an eternity of darkness, the world around Kise swirled once more, changing to a pure, blinding white, before it finally dimmed back down to a comfortable glow.

  


Slowly opening his eyes, Kise soon realized that he was in a private room in the hospital. When Kise turned to his left, he realized that Aomine was asleep in an armchair, looking extremely haggard, as if he had been up the entire night.

  


The stupid fool was too nice for his own good. He had forgotten that Aomine was not the kind of person to turn a blind eye towards anything. Kise had once again caused Aomine unnecessary trouble. Turning to his right, Kise found his uniform and wallet on a bedside table.

  


Kise quickly grabbed his belongings, and quietly headed out the door, but not before leaving a short note.

  


_Dear Aominecchi,_

  


_I'm sorry I had to put you through so much trouble once again. You no longer have to worry about me. I have decided to do my best to go on living. Please just forget about me. I wish you all the best._

  


_Love,_

_Kise Ryouta._

  


Kise cursed his cowardly self for not having the courage to thank Aomine in person, but he didn't think he could congratulate Aomine wholeheartedly without breaking down. Kise rushed off to the nearest bathroom to change, stuffing the hospital gown inconspicuously under his uniform. It was winter after all, and if he were to have a shot at surviving, he would need all the insulation he could get.

  


After making the final adjustments in front of the mirror, Kise made his way to the hospital entrance.

  


At that moment, a woman with pink hair entered the hospital. As she locked eyes with a man in a school uniform, the man gave her a sad smile before continuing out the doors.

  


# ❀

  


Aomine was rudely awakened when his childhood friend, Momoi, burst into the hospital room.

  


“Aomine Daiki! What the hell are you still doing here?!”

  


“Wha- wha- what? What happened?” Aomine stared blankly at Momoi, until she shoved a polaroid of a laughing Kise in Aomine's face.

  


“You said that this man was the love of you life. Correct?”

  


Aomine nodded dumbly.

  


“Well then. Please tell me why I just saw this man walking out of the hospital when you were supposed to be watching over him?”

  


Aomine turned his groggy head over to the empty hospital bed beside him, then proceeded to turn back to face Momoi. All the color drained from his face.

  


“Oh shit! Satsuki! Where did he go?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taadaa! Another cliffhanger! =9
> 
> But... Fear not! I'll probably be updating this story in around three days. And... I will be uploading the last two chapters (which are the final chapter and the omake chapter) at the same time! =)
> 
> The end is nigh guys! Thanks to everyone who has stuck it out with me so far! =D


	7. Love is such a beautiful thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo! I'm finally posting up the last chapter of the actual story! The following chapter will be an omake, just to sweeten things up. =)

Just as Aomine was about to bolt out the door in a frenzy, a piercing voice brought him back down to Earth.

  


“Aomine Daiki!” Aomine whipped around to find Momoi looking at him sternly.

  


“What good will rushing out of the hospital like a headless chicken do, huh?”

  


Momoi suddenly shifted her hand, and pointed over to the bedside table, where a hurriedly-scribbled note lay. “At least look for some clues first, Daiki!”

  


Aomine quickly scanned through the note.

  


“That idiot! He still thinks that I'm in love with someone else, and he's gone off on his own again! What will I do if... If...” Aomine was once again ready to rush out the door.

  


“Hold it! Daiki! You're missing the point! It's no use blindly rushing out to look for him! Now, think about it. Kise said in his note that he'd try his best to go on. No one in the city will ever hire someone without a permanent address. If you were a penniless, homeless man. Where would you head for next?”

  


There was a slight pause as the gears in Aomine's head started turning.

  


“Ryouta's not penniless. He has two-hundred dollars in his wallet. He must be taking the train to the countryside. He's probably planning to find room and board in exchange for manual labor.” Aomine reached an epiphany as he finally finished processing the clues, and what he knew about Kise.

  


This time, as Aomine finally made it out the door, Momoi made no move to stop him, and just stood there with a smile on her face.

  


# ❀

  


An under-dressed blonde male stood still at the train station, unshed tears cradling his bloodshot eyes. He shivered while waiting for his train to arrive; waiting in anticipation that the heater on the train would at least give him a little bit of much-needed comfort.

  


The train finally pulled up into the station, and Kise felt around for the ticket in his pants pocket. Grabbing hold of the flimsy piece of paper, he stretched one foot towards the nearest train car, only to be stopped by two warm arms wrapping around his torso.

  


Kise looked downwards, confused. He must have been dreaming, as he recognized the two strong arms gripping him tightly. Kise quickly whipped his head around to see Aomine trying hard to catch his breath.

  


“Please don't go, Ryouta.”

  


Kise slowly shook his head, soon realizing that it wasn't a dream. He could not afford to impose on a soon-to-be-married man. If anyone else got hurt because of him, Kise would never be able to forgive himself again.

  


“Why?' Aomine turned Kise around by the shoulders, finally getting the blonde man to turn his way. Noticing the slight tremble making its way all over Kise's body, Aomine hurriedly took off his thick wool coat, and draped it around Kise's shoulders.

  


The sudden feel of Aomine's body heat enveloping him finally made Kise's eyes give up their tears.

  


“I- I don't want to break up any more happy families.” Kise choked back. “I can fend for myself now. It's okay to let me go.”

  


“Will you still tell me it's okay if I tell you I love you?” Aomine desperately pulled Kise into his embrace.

  


“Liar.” A sad smile made it's way to Kise's lips. “I already know you have her. You don't have to try so hard to make me stay. The three of you will make a wonderful family.” Kise's arms remained limp as he continued to allow Aomine to embrace him.

  


“Ryouta. You're wrong! It's all just a big misunderstanding!” Aomine gripped onto Kise tighter after finally realizing what thoughts had been plaguing Kise's mind.

  


“Satsuki is just a childhood friend. The reason that I've been meeting up with her lately is that she's a social worker in charge of adopting out orphans.” Aomine was hoping and praying that Kise wasn't blocking out what he said as lies.

  


“A few weeks ago, she just happened to mention that there was a child, Kagami, who has a background very similar to yours. After meeting up with Kagami a few times, I had been entertaining the thought that you and I could perhaps adopt him, and we would make such a happy family.” Of course, Aomine felt embarrassed, finally sharing with Kise the fantasy he had been having for the past few weeks; but embarrassed or not, now was not the time to be shy and withhold any information. It was time for Aomine to pull out all the stops.

  


“I love you, Ryouta.” Kise paused his breathing ever so slightly.

  


“Will you be my partner for real?”

  


Time seemed to go on for an eternity as Aomine patiently waited for a response from Kise. Aomine finally broke into a grin when he felt two warm arms embrace him back in return.


	8. Omake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Here is the omake! The final FINAL chapter of this fic.
> 
> I just want to thank everyone who stuck with me through the whole story, and to everyone who left wonderful comments and kudos! Thank you for your patience everyone! =)

“Gyahahahaha!” Midorima rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time as a little red-headed boy ran past him, chasing after a fly that had flown into his house.

  


Midorima's old high school classmate, Aomine, had asked him to babysit his son for the afternoon. Apparently, Aomine had had some important last-minute arrangements over the weekend, and everyone else had refused his request.

  


“Hey, hey! Don't touch that!” Midorima quickly grabbed hold of the small hair-clip Kagami was reaching out for. It would be dangerous if Kagami tried to put the sharp object in his mouth. And besides, it was his lucky item for the day.

  


This being his first time babysitting for Aomine, Midorima had not expected Kagami to suddenly burst into tears. Midorima unsuccessfully tried to calm the toddler down using various methods he had heard of, before remembering that Aomine had kindly given him a baby care cheat sheet.

  


Midorima quickly scanned the list, and soon found the helpful tip he had been looking for. The paper mentioned that if Kagami started crying inconsolably for whatever reason, his little basketball soft toy would be able to cheer him up again in no time.

  


Sighing in relief that he finally had a solution, Midorima turned to face the mountain of bags he had been saddled with, and the panic set in once more. How on Earth was he going to find one little soft toy in this fat pile of zippers and canvas?

  


Desperate for a quick solution, Midorima scrambled for his cell phone. Midorima was doing Aomine a favour, and babysitting for his son. Surely he could just spare Midorima a few minutes to tell him where the damn soft toy was, right?

  


The first time Midorima dialed Aomine's number, nobody picked up. Trying his luck again, he dialed the number once more, only to find his call quickly sent to voice mail.

  


The desperate man found himself royally ticked off at Aomine for cruelly rejecting his call. Who cared if Aomine was currently in a meeting? Midorima needed help dealing with the crying Kagami, and he needed help fast. With lightning-fast fingers, Midorima dialed Aomine's number over and over again.

  


“What the hell do you want? Stop disturbing me already, Midorima!” Aomine finally picked up the phone in irritation.

  


“Ah, Aomine. Sorry to bother you, but your son keeps crying for-” Midorima's brain froze mid-sentence when he heard a moan in the background.

  


“ _Mmm~ Aominecchi! Do it harder!”_ Kise's wanton voice leaked through the ear piece.

  


“God, Kise. You sexy little beast.” Came Aomine's growl through the phone.

  


Midorima quickly hung up, and proceeded to toss his phone into a corner.

  


As Midorima slowly cooed to Kagami, while searching for the little basketball bag-by-bag, he silently cursed Aomine in his head.

  


No wonder nobody had been willing to help Aomine babysit Kagami. This morning's Oha Asa had certainly been wrong. There was no way this hair-clip was Midorima's lucky item for the day.

  


-The End-


End file.
